well, it is one one these teas that don't fit in any usual convenient categories.it is made in southern yunnan, with big leaves species, usually in spring.the leaves are very lightly withered (as for white tea), then dried not in the sun (as maocha would be) but warm-air dried (warm air is sometimes insufflated).I have heard that the withering is made at night under moonlight; as for "at night", ok I buy (the idea would be to avoid direct sunlight) yet that would mean picking late in the day so as to avoid long oxydation. as for the "moonlight" part it seems to me some nice image, not impossible though but probably not essential to the processing.

As time passes, some oxydation occurs, and flavors change to something that is not sheng cha evolving (because of slight withering and drying method), nor green tea type leaf maturing, but closer to hong cha flavors.yet it is not strictly speaking hong cha, hong cha is fully (or very) oxydised in the making.

if such tea was left to mature, it could well go on evolving towards hongcha -then it would be... slow motion hong cha I guess But I have not encountered that type of tea aged deliberately then released.

(edit)I did a bit of research, and among a few sources found those that seemed to me interesting to peruse:

> from jkteashop : "White moon light tea from Jinggu, is a kind a tea which does not fall into the six tea categories, due to its making techniques. Or to be more precisely, more people would like to define it as white tea; However, it also has its difference compared to white tea.This tea is made from big white hair big leaves tea trees from Jinggu. Only Jinggu has this type of tea trees, which is charaterized with silver tea hair. Its making process are summarized below: picking the fresh leaves; withering the tea leaves under the moon light（unlike Pu Er tea, which is withering under sun); after the withering process is ok, then it is the finished product of white moon light tea."jkteashop has 2009 spring yue guang bai, it might interest you if you wish to taste one that has been kept for a year.link : http://www.jkteashop.com/2009-spring-wh ... ath=66_116(I would think the species is Camellia Taliensis)

It is somewhat spell-binding. I do not know why exactly but the smell of this tea feels special. Perhaps the way it affirms itself while at the same time being subdued. Like a thick sheath of a wire that is made by the subdued tones to carry the stronger taste inside. Am also looking forward to see it age.

Yet another rather inexpensive interesting tea, with a nice story that goes along

I was discussing yue guang bai by mail with jennifer from jkteashop (a very nice and knowledgeable person!) and she kindly did a bit of research about the origin of this tea.she writes:"It was invented by a Taiwan tea merchant called Zhou Ren Zhi in Yunnan in 2003*. But it has not gained its population until the recent 3 years." (I believe she means "popularity")

jennifer also specifies that now yue guang bai is often withered not under moonlight (I thought so, as obviously you don't get moonlight every night) but in darkness (I think it may be at night or away from light). I assume this has to do with aiming at slow oxydation.anyway, just in case you too were curious about details, that's 2 cents' more.

Thanks for the update. Interesting. I revisited this week the one I have, which is now close to 9 months old. The taste has changed a bit, as it becomes somewhat deeper. Its current smell and taste seems to be more 'serious' (lack of other descriptive term) as the quick-impact aroma at the beginning is now seemingly getting into the leaves to resurface enriched when steeped.

It's funny how smell works. I'm still relatively new to the World of Teas and smelling again this tea instantly brought the memories of when I first got it and marveled at the mysterious yet wonderful scent, as it was very different from any tea I tasted so far.

I think I will get another batch as it seems to be aging quite good.

As it seems to be a relatively 'unknown' tea, do you know if there are many grades out there ? I'd tend to think that producers of this tea would be quite limited and quality would be the same amongst them.

I am not aware of official grades, but there are probably differences in quality due to (as for other teas): leaves profile / manufacturing skills and care / transportation and keeping conditions.

I'd tend to think that producers of this tea would be quite limited and quality would be the same amongst them

I would also think so.this might also account for the relatively low domestic price of this tea, although it is made with old arbor leaves (or so claimed, but for the ones I have drunk this seems very likely to me). I don't have figures but I would think production is relatively marginal. Retail only started to offer it ...and not really massively. One thing I did was type the characters on taobao search and results were few --of course taobao is not per se representative of chinese domestic market but it is a hint.

anything I find interesting (if interesting I come across) I will post here

I purchased a sample from Tea Trekker. Here's what they have to say about it:

Yue Guang Bai is a deliciusly unusual green tea. In addition to showing the bright, pure flavor and clarity of an early season green tea, Yue Guang Bai fills the mouth with a richness that only a first-class white tea or a world-class oolong will have. The core flavor of Yue Guang Bai is mysteriously subtle and layered with nuance. Tea drinkers who seek a green tea that has a full-bodied mouth-feel with absolutely no astringency will find this tea from the sub-tropical region of Yunnan Province irresistible. Yue Guang Bai is a big, light, fluffy leaf tea reminiscent of the SunShine Tea™ from Yunnan that TeaTrekker featured for many seasons. Our SunShine Tea™ was sun-dried, whereas Yue Guang Bai is warm-air-dried. Yue Guang Bai is a true regional Yunnan specialty, and a tea which does not fit the exact characteristics of traditional green tea manufacture. This tea is processed very simply and the light withering that it undergoes gives it the appearance of a white tea. This slight natural oxidation imparts to it a flavor that is reminiscent of a very mild black tea. Yue Guang Bai is light, elusive, clean, and deliciously smooth. Extremely easy to steep and demanding many re-steepings, it is simply delicious.

Harvested from old-growth tea bushes in Simao in mid-February of 2010.

I drank this tea shortly after a session with Silver Needles and was struck by the similarities. To my inexperienced palate they were more alike than different in a way that wouldn't ordinarily be true of a comparison between a white tea and a green tea.

The information from Teatrekker is correct on the origin of Yue Guang Bai. Additionally - it is not a white tea (白茶), though it is commonly marketed as such. It is a part of the black tea category - Hei cha (黑茶类) and it is a Sheng Cha (生茶) in that category. Puer sheng cha(普洱生茶) is similar in that it is also a Sheng cha in the black tea category. The leaf of Yue Guang Bai is also of the large leaf type Da ye zhong(大叶种) from Yunnan, but it is a white hair variety of this type. The tea incorporates the terminal bud, and the second and third leaves as well as stem material in its whole-leaf form. What makes this tea so unique is that it has a similar flavor to that of a white tea, but whith the character of Sheng cha in that it will brew 15 or more times in a gaiwan. Here are photos of the tea in its proper form which can be loose or in cake form. Be very carful of the cake form it is many times a false product.

I think we also need to be aware that when people talk about Yue Guang Bai/Moonlight White, they refer to one common name, but what they talk about could be totally different teas. Such phenomenon happens on many terms, of which I've noticed include: * moonlight white* silver needle* milk oolong* qi / chiand probably more

I recently bought rishis version of this tea and i must say i just LOVE it. To those who bought it from other sources (jk teashop, tea trekker, yuunan sourcing) how was the quality, did it seem to be authentic?

I ask because although i love the one from rishi, it is, as most things from rishi are, rather expensive...if i could get the same thing from like jk or ys then that would be awesome.